Norman Cornish will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Sunderland in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, and in particular, in support of the mining community.

Norman began working in the mines in 1933 aged 14. At 15 years old, he joined the famous Pitman's Academy and began painting and drawing the world around him, eventually becoming a celebrated artist.

His vivid paintings of ordinary life feature both realism and a nostalgic look at a world that no longer exists outside of his canvases. Now 92, he continues to chronicle the everyday lives of the people of Spennymoor.